Vigilantes
by KusajishiFukutaicho
Summary: Even when they have unwittingly strayed into mafia, they have never lost sight of their goal. Small as they were, they made up a Family of protectors. 1st Gen fic. Pending rewrite.
1. Chapter 1

A/N : I've had this in mind for quite some time now…doing a _real_ story on how Vongola came to be and G and Giotto's friendship…(I went back and looked at my other fic 'Vongola' and realised it was terribly sucky, so I decided a new fic was in orderXD) and the latest manga chapters just spoiled it): Well, never mind then. I suppose I'll _try_ to fit the whole Cozart thing into my storyline, and if it's really impossible to do so, well treat my story as AU then. I hope it won't come down to that…that all said, please _enjoy_!

Disclaimer: Yes yes, I own this fic. And nothing else. Happy?

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_**Vigilantes**_

_Chapter One: The __day we met was not of fate_

The dying rays of the fiery ball of light leaked over the horizon and painted the whole sky a glorious red and orange. The benign light shone down on the people of the little town. Shop owners were closing for the day, children were rushing out of the school gates, and fathers hurried to go home.

For some, it seemed that they were in no hurry to get home. Young couples strolled leisurely on the streets, holding hands. Shop owners smiled and chatted with each other as they pulled down the shutters, breathing a sigh of relief at the end of a long day. Nothing was out of place. The townsfolk were busying about their usual activities and going about their lives – _is that so, really?_

Look again.

Where were the loving couples walking on the streets? Where were the shop owners? Where were the people rushing to get home? _Where _did they all go?

Giotto stood at the entrance to the little town, eyes wide and mouth agape in shock. He stared at the empty streets (which were previously occupied by the townspeople) unblinkingly for several seconds until he concluded he _wasn't _seeing things.

_How in the world… do they move so fast?_

Behind him, his father wiped his forehead wearily.

"_Oh dear… Signor Martelli did say that the townspeople here __were a __**little**__ wary of outsiders, but I hadn't expect this."_

The 8-year-old turned back to stare at his mother at her words, his face filled with confusion.

"_I guess__ we'll just have to make our way in…"_

The sandy-haired man sighed as he nudged his still frozen son along and his wife followed closely. As the family of three walked down the street, distrustful eyes watched them from between partially closed doors and gaps between boarded up windows, emanating a hostile atmosphere. It seemed that should the family make any inappropriate actions that should be deemed as suspicious, the townspeople would _pounce_ on them.

Giotto and his parents continued walking uneasily and when they finally reached their new home, the sandy-haired boy let go of his breath that he hadn't known he had been holding.

"_Mama, why are the people here so strange?"_ He couldn't help but ask as his parents busily unpacked their belongings.

His mother sighed briefly and paused to think of how to properly word it to her son.

"_The people in this town…"_ she started slowly, _"have met some very bad people from outside. They did a lot of bad things to the people here."_

"_So after that, the people here don't trust anyone from the outside anymore?" _Giotto's eyes were wide in curiosity.

"_Something like that."_ His mother answered absently before turning back to her unpacking.

Left with nothing to do whilst his parents were busy, Giotto looked out of the window and was rather surprised to discover the previously empty streets filled with people again, all going about their own businesses as if nothing has happened.

_If the people here wouldn't ever accept us, what would we do?_

Giotto was in fact much more mature beyond his years. He thought a lot of things that children of his age never thought about. Perhaps it was him helping out in his parents' work since he could remember. Despite both his parents being doctors, they weren't extremely well-to-do; in fact, they were just getting by.

If it wasn't his parents' almost free treatment to all, it was their generous hand at helping those who were poorer than them. But Giotto never felt any resentment at his parents' over-generosity. Because he could see for himself the grateful looks of their patients, the long string of thanks from the poorer ones, and it touched his little heart. His parents had always told him to help whenever they could because they were better off.

After all, his mother always said, "_Kindness begets kindness. You never knew when you would be the one in need. Try putting yourself in their shoes and help as much as you can._"

He smiled.

_When I grow up, I want to be just like Papa and Mama. I want to make everyone happy._

~X~

A week after they have moved into this strange little town, the people still viewed them with guarded eyes. Even though his parents explained to him the reason behind it, Giotto still didn't quite understand why. This was the first time he was going to school as he was previously home-schooled, and that seemed to further distance him from the rest. The other children of his age didn't want to play with him. He wished that the people here would stop glaring at them. It… it felt uncomfortable.

He smiled as he helped his father set up his clinic for the day. He was reveling in the cheerful bird calls that rang in the refreshing morning air when he saw a group of boys chasing after a red-haired boy around the corner and they happened to be heading his way. There were scratches all over the boy's arms and legs while the pursuers looked pleased, albeit a little red-faced. They were all jeering and telling the boy to stop.

Giotto frowned slightly. It was clear as light what was happening. It was an obvious case of a group of boys who decided to pick on a boy who was smaller in size. This was bullying, wasn't it? His parents had always told him that picking on the weak is the most despicable thing a person can do. As the group of the bullies and the victim drew closer, he could make out that the boy seemed to be around his own age.

Then the maroon-haired boy bumped into him. He wobbled on his feet slightly but did not fall. The boy, however, ended up sprawling on the ground in a most undignified heap. This little collision obviously cost the victim as the bullies caught up. Then, when they were almost on him, Giotto decided (upon a sudden burst of justice) to stand up to what he viewed as outright bullying.

"How can you team up on someone smaller than you?" He mustered enough courage to speak up to the big bullies. Taking the chance, the boy took to his heels and sped off. Whilst making his escapade, he spared a glance in Giotto's direction. For a fleeting moment their eyes met, sandy ones into reddish ones, before the boy turned and fled.

Giotto now faced off the bullies alone as they mocked him to vent off their anger for letting their victim get away.

"I recognize you. You're the little boy from the family who came last week. You _damn_ outsiders who have come to defile our town. We don't welcome you, scram!" They were advancing on Giotto (who suddenly realizing the enormity of the bullies, began to back away in fear) and was about to pounce on him when his father appeared, wondering what took his son so long.

Immediately when they saw the stern adult, they fled. His father walked over to him, a little irritable.

"I thought I told you not to talk to the people; the townspeople don't like us."

Giotto looked at the ground meekly.

"Yes, Papa. I'm sorry."

He gulped slightly at the thunderous expression on his father's face. Looks like he wasn't in a good mood… Well, he'd be _careful_ to stay out of his way then. He took a seat, pondering about the boy he had just met. In that instant that he got a quick glimpse of the other's face, he was shocked to discover a vivid mark that ran across one side of the boy's face.

He took it to be a tattoo immediately because that's what it looked like. His mother had once told him that only people in mafia got tattoos. That all said, he didn't understand what mafia was and according to his mother, it was a group of _bad_ people who killed (which he didn't quite understand either) and… well, did _bad_ things.

Giotto wondered if that boy was in the mafia. He thought that he looked like a normal person, not like _bad_ people that his mother described. _Bad_, as he understood it, hurt people and –

"_-Giotto!"_

He jerked out of his thoughts to see his father staring at him impatiently.

"_How many times must I call you for breakfast? Quick, your mother's waiting."_

If anything, Giotto thought that his father looked even angrier. He swallowed. _Oh dear._ He quickly scuttled in after his rather annoyed father.

_I hope that he doesn't scold me later…_

~X~

Later on, Giotto was exceptionally quiet during breakfast, careful not to make his father's anger escalate any further. His mother looked a little puzzled at the silence as Giotto was usually very chatty during mealtimes.

When they all finished the meal, Giotto's mother walked out and saw a woman walk in with a sniffling boy that had a huge gash on his arm. Giotto came out just as his mother set the boy down on a nearby chair. Even as young as he was, he didn't miss the way the woman peered around their clinic distrustfully and the stiff expression on her face.

He watched his mother bandage a boy's arm gently, careful not to cause the boy any more pain than he already felt. He looked from the wincing boy to his mother who stood at the side with a disdainful expression on her face.

When his mother was done, the boy quickly scrambled off the chair and the lady curtly gave her the money and left without turning back. Giotto was taken aback by this cold behavior. For an instant it seemed to him that the lady viewed any contact or interaction with them like disease, ending their businesses quickly and escaping as far as they could. He felt a little hurt at what he saw as clearly rude behavior. He wondered when the townspeople would finally start to like them.

He really hoped that he didn't have to wait long.

~X~

Presently, there was a loud crash and Giotto looked up curiously. The red-haired boy whom he saw earlier dashed out of the provision shop opposite the clinic, a huge loaf of bread in hand and took to the streets. The shop owner, a cranky old lady ran out after him, waving her stick angrily.

"_Hey, __wait! Stop running! You haven't returned me the money from last time!"_ She rasped in sharp Italian.

The boy yelled back as he ran, _"Next time I will, Signorina!"_

The old lady gave an exasperated sigh as she went back to her shop, panting slightly.

"_Really, all he knows is to bully an old lady…"_ she muttered under her breath, though not seeming particularly furious at the loss of a huge loaf of bread (which Giotto presumed hadn't been paid for), more annoyed than actually angry.

Around him his new neighbours shook their heads and Giotto strained to listen to their words.

"_That boy__ … I hear he doesn't have parents, that's why he's like that…"_

"_Si, si! Someone should take him in hand…"_

Giotto turned back into the clinic. He wasn't one who gossiped (or listened to any of those, for the matter).

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A/N : There you have it. The first chapter. I'm really so sorry that this was so incredibly boring. I promise that it'll get better and better…really! Don't kill me, please(: Please review and tell me what you think and whether you all actually mind if I didn't fit the whole Cozart thing into my story^^ I'll only continue if I know that people are reading this and want to see more:D Anyway, you will review, right? -gives best puppy eyes- Pwease?

**Edit: Thank you, Shizuka Sato, for your valuable inputXD I have corrected the mistakes. (:**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait. I have been incredibly lazy and indulging myself in Chinese fanfiction. And going overseas as well…Thank you so much, Kitsune Freak and Jenjenshim for your help with this chapter!:D I hope that you'll all like this chapter!(:

Disclaimer : No dear, I only own this fic.

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_**Vigilantes**_

_Chapter Two: One spark goes a long way_

_The rain that beat down harshly on the slanted roof meant nothing to the maroon-haired boy. He shook as he hugged his knees to himself, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible in that small corner where he hid._

_Outside, men hammered at the door, demanding for the occupants of the house to open the door and pay up. But the plural was obviously displaced, since there was only one little boy._

What had Zio gotten himself into this time?

_Small as he was, G knew that his uncle must be in hot soup. No wonder he hasn't turned up for an entire day. He has left his nephew to deal with it on his own. _

_G looked to the wooden door timidly and a chill ran down his back as he saw it shaking. He had no doubt that the door would be jerked off its hinges in minutes. There wasn't any time left and nowhere to run. He wasn't given any more time to think, as true to his expectations, the door gave way easily in the next moment. Four rough-looking men ran into the small house, fierce and menacing. G swallowed loudly as one man, seemingly the leader, made his way over to him. So they hadn't been fooled, after all._

_He easily wrapped his big hand round the boy's neck and in the next instant the latter was in the air, legs kicking and arms waving to get out of the man's strong grip._

"_Your uncle's dead, do you know that, brat? He fell down the bridge when we were chasing him."_

_The statement made no sense whatsoever to the 6-year-old. He didn't know why the big, scary man was telling him this. Now he wanted nothing more than to get out of the man's grip. He was choking._

"_So how can we get our money back? What do you think we should do, brat?"_

_G flinched at the chilling light in the man's eyes. He shook his head mutely, staring at the strangers with wide terrified eyes._

_The man gave a snort of disgust as he looked him up and down, particularly displeased when his eyes fell upon the red mark on the boy's face._

"_There's nothing we can do with this brat. Can't even sell him. Way too ugly to get a good price. Have you found anything?" The man growled as he turned to his companions who have returned from their search through the house for valuable items._

_His eyes widened upon seeing the gold necklace that was in his friend's hands. The sides of his mouth went up slightly to form a sneer as he relaxed his hold carelessly and the boy fell to the floor with a loud thump. G began sucking in greedy gulps of air._

_His eyes fell upon the very same necklace that was in one of the men's hands. Eyes widening with dismay, he leapt to his feet and tried to make a grab for the gold necklace. His mother's necklace. _

_How could a boy win several grown men? He was no match, of course. The leader gave a derisive laugh as he kicked the boy in the ribs and strode away._

_Bending over in pain, G could only watch helplessly as the men left with the only thing his mother had left him. His eyes began to sting and for a long while, he didn't move, remaining in his knelt over position as bitter tears fell._

_He eventually staggered to his feet again, using the old table as a support. His face was streaked with tears as he looked about his surroundings dazedly._

_Dead? Of course he knew what dead was. Dead meant that the person left and never came back. That was the simplest of explanations and it was enough for him. His irresponsible jerk of an uncle has once again gambled away all their money and now left his nephew behind to deal with the mess he has created._

_And now, he's lost the only thing that his mother had left for him as well._

_G let the tears flow freely as his small hands fisted over and he slammed one onto the wooden table. Sobs wracked his small frame as he attacked the table repeatedly in frustration, heaviness settling in those red orbs._

_**Damn it, stupid Zio!**_

-X-

G walked down the streets casually, a nonchalant expression on his face. He slipped a hand into one pocket and felt a rush of joy at the familiar feeling of the coins between his fingers. He had been really lucky recently.

He managed to pickpocket a man just the day before and the fat purse that he pocketed (the man never noticed) proved to be as valuable as it looked. There had been a lot of coins. That meant that he now had money to pay old Amaranta for her bread and for the food from last time. Then she'll probably be a lot less grouchy…

He practically sauntered into the provision shop, feeling as if he held all the wealth in his hands, at that moment. At the very least, he could stop owing people. He went straight to the counter and found the old lady watching him warily, her eyes narrowed in distrust.

"Jeez, relax. I'm paying you back now, see?" He drew out a whole fistful of coins and dropped them on the counter carelessly, causing a loud clinking sound.

At that, Amaranta's eyes softened most uncharacteristically and she reached out and pocketed five coins.

"Stupid boy, when did I ever say that I wanted your money? It's difficult enough as it is, don't waste any of them." She pushed the rest of the coins back to him but G didn't move to take back his coins.

"You told me to pay you, remember? That time when I took off with the bread." The look of confusion on his face must have been obvious, because Amaranta reached out and patted his head gently.

"You mean that time? Really, you should have just told me you wanted bread. The way you ran off like that, anyone would think that you're a thief…" she chastised, shaking her head like she didn't know what to do with him.

"Well…I _am_ a thief…" G muttered under his breath, his cheeks colouring slightly at Amaranta's affectionate gesture. The latter heard his mutterings all the same and she immediately tutted.

"Who said so? You just get some money from those rich people who obviously have too much to spare, that's all." Her eyes crinkled lovingly as she reached out, wanting to smoothen his constantly messy hair. This time G sensed it and ducked.

His face lightened at Amaranta's strange logic. The latter had a very unique way of thinking things and no one could debate with her. You'll only wind up incredibly frustrated and wondering why you were arguing with her in the first place.

G pushed all the coins to the old lady again.

"I'll leave the coins with you. I already took it out. If I put it back in, I'll definitely get mugged on my way back." Actually what was on G's mind was that he'll let her have the money anyway. He could easily just pickpocket another person. The bread will last him for quite a while and if he really needed anything, he could always approach Amaranta for help (though he didn't like doing so).

The old lady had stumbled across him a week after his uncle's death, starving. She had taken pity on him and gave him some food and water. Since then, Amaranta had always watched out for him. The streets was a tough place for a child like him to survive and yet he stubbornly refused to let her take him under her wing, stating that he already had somewhere to stay.

G knew that he would always be grateful. After all, she didn't have to treat him so well, did she?

-X-

Giotto was having a very bad day. He started out by forgetting to bring his lunch to school and ended up starving. When he returned home, his not-so-pleased mother decided to give him a piece of her mind. After all, her efforts of making the meal has gone to waste since the food, having been kept for the entire day, have gone bad.

When he was released from her tongue-lashing, he went on the streets to run an errand for his father, but ended up being chased by the other children in the neighbourhood. They saw him first and as always, decided to target him (though he really was _innocent!_).

So he was currently running very fast, trying to outrun four or five children who seemed intent on making his day hell. They were all empty-handed but had gleeful smiles on their faces. Giotto had no doubt that if they ever caught up with him, they will beat him up badly, to vent what they called 'the disgust of seeing outsiders in their town'.

He couldn't bear to think of the pain. In his desperation, he turned into the first alley that came into his view. He knew that he was drawing distance between the children and him, but he dared not slow down. He was running on blindly when he realized that it was a dead end.

_Oh no._

Just as he stopped, someone pulled him forcibly somewhere. He struggled briefly, but the person was obviously stronger than he was. When he was finally able to get his bearings, he found himself staring into a pair of brilliant red eyes.

He started backwards in slight shock and took in the boy who stood before him. Maroon hair framed a very young face, so young that he's probably somewhere his age. And he's seen the boy before. That day, he saved him from the bullies and later saw him stealing bread from the old lady's provision shop. He wouldn't miss the red mark anywhere. It ran wildly across one side of the boy's face, all the way to his neck.

Belatedly, Giotto realised that the boy must have saved him and he opened his mouth to thank him. Immediately, the boy, who had been meeting his gaze with wary eyes, reached out a hand forcibly - and Giotto flinched, thinking instinctively that the boy was going to strike him... only to find a warm hand over his mouth. Giotto stared at him, not comprehending and wanting to ask, but the boy shook his head slowly in warning as he removed his hand.

They stood like that for several minutes until the voice of one of the children who had been chasing him rang out.

"Did you see him?" She shouted to her friend.

Giotto couldn't hear what the other child's reply was, but he guessed that he probably replied in negative, since their footsteps soon faded away.

The maroon-haired boy let out his breath then, peering out cautiously.

"I think they're gone," he said shortly and turned to leave.

"W-Wait! You're that boy from that day, aren't you? What's your name?"

The boy snapped back, watching him steadily.

"G," he finally conceded.

"Nice to meet you. Thank you for just now, G. My name's Giotto, by the way." Giotto smiled at G with genuine friendlessness and he'd be lying if he wasn't just a little disappointed that the boy did not smile back. The redhead's eyes were guarded but not unfriendly.

"No problem. I don't like owing people, anyway. You should be more careful. Next time you won't be so lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone in this town is armed with at least a knife, even the children."

"Why?" As if annoyed with Giotto's chattiness, G gave an aggravated sigh.

"Mafia people come to collect money from us frequently and even if we give them money, they still like to hurt us."

Giotto froze, his eyes wide with horror.

"Huh?"

"What, you don't even know what mafia is?" G rolled his eyes.

"N-No, I…how did you get that mark on your face, G?" Giotto changed the topic in a poor attempt to hide his embarrassment, but it was apparently a mistake. The red-haired boy's eyes darkened and any trace of friendliness soon left them.

"I don't think I know you very well."

He turned to leave once more, but Giotto grabbed the other's arm on impulse. He felt guilty for making the other boy upset. G shrugged his hand away roughly.

"I..I'm sorry." Giotto bowed his head low. At that, G's expression relaxed slightly and his lips quirked up a little.

"The scar…I fell on an iron when I was young. It was really hot."

"R-Really?"

G ignored Giotto's exclamation of surprise and continued on his way, laughing softly.

"Just kidding."

-X-

Dusk was approaching. The two men stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the busy street with great interest.

"How long haven't we come to collect money?" One man asked his companion, playing with the gun in his hand.

"Over a month or so…" The other man laughed, his eyes glinting with cold amusement.

"I say that we go and collect some sweet money and have _fun_ with the townspeople, what do you think?"

"Great idea. Their feeble attempts at resistance are always most entertaining…"

The first man smirked as he then swaggered into the town, his friend following, a knowing smile on his face.

It's time to play.

_**To be continued.**_

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A/N: Sigh. I think that this is the horriblest(Did I just invent a word?XD) thing I have ever written…I really had no inspiration whatsoever! Wahhhhh;_; Please don't kill me, on the account that I rushed this out this morning…and have been editing it ever since…Please review! I beg of you! _Please!_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Yes, I'm not dead…I am rushing this before I go for a 3 day camp now, so I apologise for the exceptionally bad quality. I'll read through it more thoroughly when I get back. So sorry for the long wait! I'll _try_ not to make this into a routine and update at least once a month…it's just that school has been horribly time consuming): Special thanks to Kitsune Freak for all his/her advice and all of you readers/reviewers who were so encouraging and nice! To thank everyone, I have written (or at least tried to write) a humor oneshot with G and Giotto as main characters - please go and take a look!^^ It's called 'Revenge'. Review replies are below as usual!(:

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

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_**Vigilantes**_

_Chapter Three: Outsiders __can only mean trouble_

When the two men walked into the town, for a second, no one moved. Those were clearly not from the town, and to the townspeople, anyone not from their town would definitely mean them harm. And for once they were right, because they recognized the two men from a raid roughly a month ago.

Almost as soon as the recognition drove in, the people snapped into action. Shops immediately commenced closing while some went into their homes to hide. Weapons flashed in the light, bizarre ones from an axe to a simple butcher knife. One woman even had a gun. However before she so much as holstered the weapon, a third man strode in from the entrance.

His looks weren't outstanding and he wasn't the sort of man that people would notice. His face was empty and betrayed nothing. Despite his outward appearance, he emanated a dangerous air that suggested that he wasn't one to be trifled with. He spared no glance at the harried townspeople and simply fired a shot in the air. Many froze, feeling the instinctive fear of someone much, much stronger and the man took the chance to fire a succession of shots that rammed into the frozen people.

The scent of blood hung heavily in the air, and most abandoned their bravado and ran for their lives, for this year it was different. It wasn't buffoons they were dealing with. This year's raid is of a different level. This was a hitman.

In fact, even as the people prided themselves in the fact that they _drove away_ the mafia, there was no victory to be claimed. They inevitably always suffered huge losses on their part and the mafia came back whenever they felt like it. Because they owned this land that the town was sitting on.

Whenever the mafia came, people die. It wasn't so much as the numbers that mattered. It was the weapons. Most townspeople owned knives, axes… any suitable tool that could be used as a weapon, but never a gun. Guns were expensive and extremely hard to get. The Mafioso, armed with guns and such, almost always had the upper hand. They will eventually be able to _'fend them off'_ when the mafia has taken enough from them. They always promised to come back.

It was an uphill battle, one not to be easily won and this year, diffusing the situation seems to be a _tad_ more difficult.

Many couldn't help the sigh of hopelessness. It would be a long day.

-X-

Giotto was tending the clinic as usual while his mother went to fetch something from a shop in the next street. He peered around, waiting for his father to work himself out of the rage he was in. The blonde-haired man was currently at the back of the clinic itself, tidying up things and preparing to close the clinic for the day.

His son scooted around the corner when the man came to the front of the clinic and began to pull down the shutters, an angry expression on his face. Giotto stared at his father for a few more minutes, contemplating on the best way to get out of this.

Just earlier that day, while Giotto was at school, a neighbor a few shops down the street had brought her son along and demanded that he apologise. She claimed that Giotto had gotten into a fight with her own son and eventually gave him a black eye. Since Giotto hasn't been there, he had been unable to deny the claims and as a result, his father truly believed that Giotto went to ask for a fight and hurt the other boy. He had flushed in embarrassment and immediately apologized. Later, when his son came back, he had immediately snapped at the boy and was unwilling to speak to him until he admitted his mistake.

Giotto sighed for the umpteenth time today. _Father is scary when he's mad_, he decided as he observed the man closing the shop. He went out before his father completely pulled down the shutters and gulped as he saw the displeased expression on the latter's face.

_Maybe it's better to just __**admit**__ to my 'mistake'…_

"Father…I'm so sorry for what happened today. I am at fault. Please forgive me." Giotto bowed his head slightly in his supposed shame. His father watched him intently for a minute or so, before he sighed and reached out a hand to ruffle his mop of sandy hair.

"That's my boy." He conceded gruffly, "Don't be afraid to admit to your mistakes and you will become a true man. Don't do it again."

"Yes, Father."

Before any more is said, however, the father and son turned to see Mother came running to them, her face very anxious.

"The mafia has come to raid the town," she said breathlessly to her husband. The latter frowned and he quickly pulled his wife and child towards him, wanting to go to the safety of their house. But she stopped him.

"They want all of the townspeople to meet at the town square," she said worriedly. Giotto's father looked towards her, not understanding.

"One of the men has held a little girl hostage."

-X-

"Alright, now, stand here and be good and this won't take too long," the hitman drawled as he waved his hand slightly and his underlings immediately settled on the first shop in sight and began combing it systematically for valuables.

Several of the townspeople bristled slightly at the act, but they did not dare to move even an inch. The hitman looked at them expectantly, giving them a charming smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Now, now. You have to all bear this in mind. This wouldn't need to happen if you paid your protection fees more regularly. Yes, last month you did pay, but what about the entire six months before? Not a single cent." He casually prodded the terrified little girl's head with the barrel of his gun and he continued his little _speech._

"Your audacity makes me wonder. Have you, perhaps, forgotten who owns this land? Or do you think that you are self-sufficient now and that you no longer need to pay _rental_ fees?" The man laughed at the anger that rippled through the crowd.

Giotto clenched his fists as the man repeatedly taunt and mock the helpless townspeople. He didn't understand everything that was going on, but one thing came clear. The big bad man was threatening all of them with the life of a little girl. The girl is in danger of being hurt.

He felt the slightest tingle when the girl began to cry. Warning bells went off in his head. Something bad was about to happen.

"…what did I say about being good, _bambino_? Now you've come and annoyed me, you leave me with no choice." The man sneered as he tightened the trigger.

His two underlings who, having found nothing much valuable save for some money and jewelry, came back at the same time, having set fire to the houses instead to prove their point. The man is briefly distracted from what he was about to do as he gave a satisfied nod. Giotto frowned at the way the men had total control over them all and wished that he could do something.

"You already took all our money. You have to let the child go!" Giotto's eyes widened when his father stood up and growled angrily. There was a collective sound of surprise from the townspeople and immediately other people stood up and supported his father as well, brandishing their weapons as they did.

But there was truly no way out. They can't possibly snatch the girl to safety when the gun was pointed to her head! They won't make it in time. Then something red caught his eye. Giotto watched fixedly as the red-haired boy he has known barreled into one of the unsuspecting underlings and snatched his gun. There was a look of uncertainty and certain terror on G's face. Then they were quickly replaced by fury when the man swiftly killed the little girl.

With trembling hands, the redhead fired a shot from the gun and the bullet caught the hitman in the shoulder. But it was a lucky shot. The two underlings immediately turn on the boy and Giotto felt a brief flash of panic. What came next was unexpected.

The hitman, holding his bleeding shoulder, gave the shaking maroon-haired boy an appraising look and he waved off his underlings, telling him to stop. He caught the gun his subordinate tossed to him and he gave a sardonic smile, firing several shots and walking away in the confusion that ensued. G tried to shoot at him while the other townspeople chased after him but unlike his first lucky shot, they all went wide.

The two underlings weren't so lucky.

With the original culprit gone, all the anger and grief was vent on the two men and soon they weren't moving anymore. His mother quickly steered him away from the gruesome sight and they left to tend to the injured people on the other street.

The last thing that Giotto saw is the sight of the little girl's mother holding her child's body, wailing. He felt his heart twist at the sound and he quickened his steps, wanting to get away.

The last thing that he could stand was seeing someone break down in grief like that. It was painful.

-X-

Giotto came into the little house that was their school and classroom. He slipped into a seat at the back and sat back as what would have been a long day began. But it didn't. Giotto immediately noticed the difference when a girl sat down beside him, smiling sweetly. His eyebrows rose in bewilderment. This has never happened before. He flashed a tentative smile back, unsure if the new development was there to stay... or was just another of the children's cruel taunts. No one ever sat with him during class. That had been the case since they arrived at this little town.

No longer.

Giotto stared nervously as his classmates approached his table. Gut instinct is telling him that nothing is wrong, but past experiences were telling him to _flee_ now. He stood where he was and attempted a friendly smile which just turned out awkward.

"…Good morning…?" Once he broke the silence, Giotto received a great shock. They all came to him and apologized.

"Sorry, Giotto. We weren't sure -"

"-part of mafia-"

"-going to hurt us-"

"-your father-"

"-so brave yesterday. Our parents have told us to come and apologise. Welcome to our town!"

Overwhelmed by the sudden hundred and eighty degrees change in attitude, Giotto could only gape for several minutes in pure surprise, before he eventually regained his senses and broke out in a wide smile.

"Thank you. Let's all be friends!" He said cheerily and everyone clapped. The sound was then interrupted by a rather distinct clearing of throat. They all turned to see their teacher staring pointedly at them.

"Let's start the lesson, shall we?"

Everyone laughed and got to their seats. What a wonderful day it would be!

-X-

Giotto rushed out of class after school and was grinning ear to ear as he thought back on the morning's events so far. There has indeed been a stark improvement in everybody's attitude towards him and he certainly welcomed the change. He couldn't wait to tell his parents.

He smiled as he bade goodbye to his new friends and was about to leave when his eyes fell onto a slumped over figure on the ground. A few boys of bigger stature were towering over said boy and one of them was raining cruel blows onto the thin frame. Giotto gasped slightly as he recognized the red hair. He ran quickly towards him, frowning. '_Why is G always the victim of bullying?'_

"Stop that!" Giotto gathered all his strength to push away the bully who attacking G ferociously. He stood protectively in front of the hunched over figure and stared bravely up at the taller boy.

"Who is he to you?" The bully retorted rudely as he made to land another hit on the maroon-haired boy. Giotto did not yield and he stood his ground.

"Do you know who he is? He's got something to do with the mafia, that's why they didn't kill him!" Another bully sneered.

"You shouldn't team up on G. He's innocent. And this is despicable."

To Giotto's credit, he did not shake even though the bully was a head taller than him. He stood firmly straight and proud. Then someone grabbed him from the behind and Giotto was pulled to the side. The original victim stood up to face the bullies, a cool look on his face.

"So I take it that you all are done and will stop bothering Amaranta? You got any debts to settle, come and find _me._" His eyes glinted slightly in the light.

The bully gave G a condescending glance before eventually conceding, "You got off lucky today." _That won't always be the case._

G's face was closed as he nodded warily. His cool facade was however, marred by his stumbling as the bullies went out of sight. Giotto noticed with certain horror the number of injuries on the other boy and he immediately reached out to steady him. G gave a reluctant grunt but allowed the sandy-haired boy to help him along.

"Why are you doing this?" G asked bluntly as they walked along the street to the clinic that Giotto's parents owned. His tone wasn't friendly or grateful at all. If anything, it was accusatory and suspicious. Giotto thought nothing of it though. He simply smiled brightly as they came to a stop before the clinic.

"Because you're my friend."

**To be continued.**

* * *

A/N: I know…horrible chapter…and after such a long wait too! I'm so sorry! I really am! Can I…can I still ask for nice reviews…? -timidly- Please!:3 If anything…as a early birthday present to me? (I know I am shamelessXD)

Review replies:

**NoName**: Haha, interesting name!(: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapters and hope that this chapter wasn't a disappointment…

**Xanimelovx**: Hi, thanks for the review! You are truly a loyal reviewer:3 Sorry for being rude before^^ I'm glad that you liked this chapter!:D Hmmm, I haven't actually decided on the whole Cozart thing yet…I don't know, but to me he seems so…extra. No offense to Cozart fans! I might try fitting him in along with Daemon's betrayal eventually, but I don't think it'll take up too much of the story since the centre of this fic is the deep friendship between G and Giotto. I'm planning ahead now…(a little too ahead, perhapsXD) and I already have a vague idea of the ending! Haha:P Do stay tuned to this story!(:


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